


The Psychic Child

by MayAnny



Category: One Piece, モブサイコ100 | Mob Psycho 100
Genre: Gen, Memory Loss, Mob being adorable, Mob under stress, Moral Dilemmas, No Romance, Pre-Time Skip
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-06 07:39:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8740786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayAnny/pseuds/MayAnny
Summary: Mob wakes up in a strange place, his brother is nowhere in sight, and his moral code doesn't hold its own weight.





	1. Chapter 1

Kageyama Shigeo, also known as _Mob,_ blinked as he stared at the clear blue sky from his spot on the ground, feeling the green grass prickling his skin.

He didn’t remember how he ended up there. What he remembered was his brother being with him before he woke up there. He remembers his family, he remembers his master, he remembers Tsubomi-chan, he remembers school, his club, ghosts, Claw...

His powers…

With a sigh, Mob sat up and looked around. The area was empty, nothing but grass and trees…

Standing up, Mob noticed something strange. Eyes narrowing slightly, he approached a tree and touched it lightly. It seemed… or better yet, it felt different, more alive?

“I don’t get it...” He mumbled, stepping away.

He could feel it in the air as well. It wasn’t the feeling of a ghost or esper nearby. It was as if he were home, but mildly _off,_ like there was just a little more _air_ than usual, just enough for him to notice…

Mob shook his head and focused on something else. His brother was with him, before the… whatever happened that got him there. He turned around, blinking. “Where’s… Ritsu?”

His presense felt very faint, like he was far, far away. So where…?

He could sense other auras, though. Strange auras, not like espers, he couldn’t quite explain the minute difference. With no other way to direct himself, he followed it out of the forest, swaying a bit when vertigo hit his senses, and he recovered quickly.

Continuing to look up and around, Mob wondered once again where he was. It was too open to be a park, and even if it wasn’t, it didn’t even look like a familiar park he could recall from back home.

Back home…? Mob frowned. No memories popped up when he thought of it, no specific landmarks, just a lot of glass and steel and warm, cozy neighborhoods, but not much detail came to mind…

His Master’s company sign… seemed fuzzy. His Master… Mob stopped and stared glassily at the grass. He seemed fuzzy at best too.

Why…?

His family, parents, brother… His breathing quickened. Their faces weren’t coming to mind as clearly as they should.

**38%**

Before he could start to panic, he felt something in his breast pocket.

Shakily, Mob took it and blinked in surprise. It was a photo. Of his brother. Frowning, Mob racked his brain to figure out where did this come from, what were he and his brother doing before?

It was like there were blank spots in his mind. Fuzzy faces and vague recollections of places… But outside of what he _remembered,_ of who he knew _existed_ – his family, his master, his friends, his problems – his brain seemed to be eerily devoid of information…

Where was he...?! Or where he was before, even?! What was the name of his hometown?!

Everything seemed to be blank.

He remembers people, but the memories seemed to grow blurrier and blurrier every second. Mob looked at the picture, in an attempt to ground himself as the realizations struck him. If he didn’t have Ritsu’s picture with him… Mob’s eyes widened. Will he forget what everyone looked like? He only had his brother’s image.

Maybe if he found Ritsu, he would understand a bit better? Maybe Ritsu would know what to do? Mob nodded to himself, tucking the picture back to safety, and continued walking.

There seemed to be a town there. At this point, he could hear the sound of waves, the smell of seawater. Was he near the coast? Where was the coast?

With a resigned sigh, Mob strove forward. If anything, he could ask around there.

.

By the time he reached the town, he already felt tired, his feet hurt a bit, and he was thirsty. The sun was hot, so he felt sweat running down his forehead as well.

On a side-note, he felt like he was less tired than expected, which meant he'd  _progress_ _ed_ with his club _,_ which was good.

The place seemed to be somewhat rural, no skyscraper in sight, no glass or steel, _not home,_ and there were people walking around. He felt awfully out of place in his school uniform, so he took his jacket off, wrapping its sleeves around his waist.

What was he searching for…?

Right. He was looking for Ritsu. He was with him before this, and he felt it, deep down, that his little brother was somewhere. Maybe not in this town… but _somewhere_. The more he thought about his little brother somewhere out there, _alone,_ the more he wanted to find him.

Mob spotted a bar of sorts, judging by the sign – all in Japanese, luckily – and in movies, there was information to be found in bars, right?

Would they let him in?

Once inside, there was no resistance to his presence, no one batted an eye, and it felt good to be out of the sun’s sight.

The counter was just a bit too high for him, so he sat on the stool. “Uhm… excuse me, miss?” Mob asked timidly.

The lady stopped cleaning the counter and looked at him. “Ara, I’ve never seen you around here!” She sounded kind and motherly. “I’m sorry, I can’t sell you any alcohol, boyo.” Her tone was jokey and her smile was bright, putting Mob at ease, just a little.

“I’m sorry… but can you tell me where I am?”

She blinked. “Ara? You don’t know…?”

“I don’t remember how I got here...”

Her brows rose. “Eh? Are you hurt? Did someone bring you here?” She approached him and placed a hand on his forehead, making Mob recoil from the touch on reflex.

“No, I’m looking for my little brother… I don’t remember what happened, but I need to find him.” He took the picture and showed to her. “Have you seen him?”

The lady frowned as she inspected the picture. She attempted to take the picture, if only to see it better, but tensed when noticing that Mob didn’t want her to touch it. Then she sighed. “I’m so sorry, but I haven’t seen him...”

“…It’s fine.” Mob nodded politely with a sigh. “Is there an authority I can contact…?”

Her shoulders twitched. “A-Authority…? Uhm...”

“Please, I need to find my brother, and asking around town might not be my best option.” Mob leaned a bit over the counter. He was still thirsty and tired, he wanted to rest and talking to a bunch of people sounded really straining… He needed the police, or something, to help him find Ritsu.

“W-Well, there’s the Marine Base, but...”

“Marines…?” Then he was near the coast after all. “Where are they? Maybe if I aks there-”

The bartender lady placed her hands on his. “Please, don’t… Those Marines won’t help you, they’re horrible people...” She whispered. “They’re corrupt and depraved, and I don’t want a kid to get hurt...”

Mob’s eyes widened slightly. “If they are an authority, aren’t they supposed to help everyone?”

Her grip on his hand tightened, a bitter smile was on her face. “Yes, they are… but some people just… refuse to grow up. Those damn Marines-”

“Excuse me, _what_?” Her eyes widened and she turned around.

Mob turned as well, seeing men in white and blue uniforms, not uniforms he recognized. He frowned at their weapons. They looked… _old?_ Like muskets?

One of them approached the counter. “Again, what were you saying about us?” The others grinned as the people in the bar shrunk on their seats, seemingly resigned and not wishing to get involved. “Are we, the Marines, no-good for you? What will you do when pirates attack this tiny island?”

Pirates…? Island? Mob’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Maybe we’ll overlook them as they destroy your little establishment?” The man grinned with his friends, leaning over the counter as he sat on the stool. “So why don’t you apologize? Maybe with some free booze? Maybe a little dance…?”

The lady froze with wide eyes.

“Excuse me…”

They stopped, blinked, and looked at Mob, who was tiny in comparison to them.

“Eh? The hell do you want, brat?”

Lips pursed, Mob looked up as the men circled him loosely. The bartender watched him with wide eyes, mouthing ‘stop’. “Are you misters the authority here?”

The one who seemed to be the leader smirked. “Yes, we’re the authority here, kiddo.”

“Then aren’t you supposed to protect people, independently of what they say about you?”

With a scoff, the leader smirked at his friends, all whose shoulders seemed to be shaking with mirth, then turned to Mob. “No, little one, if we’re protecting them, then they’re supposed to be damn _grateful_ , aren’t they? If they dismiss our hard work, then _why_ should we protect them?”

**44%**

“…You’re refusing to do your job because of your ego…?” Mob asked quietly, the man’s eye twitched. “Aren’t you supposed to be grown ups…?”

With a heavy sigh, the man stood from his seat. “Looks like someone needs to teach this brat a lesson… Don’t you know how to respect your elders-?” He hissed.

“P-Please, he’s just a child-” The lady tried to intervene, but the leader turned to her.

“You shut your mouth, I swear, another peep from you-”

Mob stared blankly. “Why are you being so mean…?”

The man barked a laugh, which made his friends laugh as well. “Mean?! Ha! Children, they have no idea what ‘mean’ is.” The man kneeled in front of him, hand gripping his shoulder tightly, but not tight enough to hurt him through his shield. “‘Mean’ are the pirates who will burn this place and rape these women and kill little kids like you, so how about you apologize, eh? I don’t like hitting _children.”_

Mob continued to stare, feeling confused. “Apologize for what? I didn’t insult you...”

“Yes, you did, you _did_.”

Blinking, Mob nodded a bit. “Ah… I did…? I’m sorry if-”

“No, not _if._ You were a disrespectful little brat, so apologize properly! _Grovel_.” The man was smirking as he stood straight.

Why was he seeking revindication from a kid…? After a second, Mob decided there was no harm in doing so. He felt that they wanted an excuse to fight, and Mob didn’t want a fight. If they needed this to not fight, then so be it. So Mob kneeled and bowed down. “I’m very sorry I insulted you, mister.”

Silence.

After a second, a foot pressed against his head, making him hiss in surprise.

**49%**

The man glared at Mob, apparently disappointed. “What… I expected you to resist, what a bore… Tch.” He stepped away after a shove on his head. “Whatever, we’ll be back for that booze later.” They all walked out.

More silence. After another second, Mob stood, glancing at the doorway, pawing his hair to clean the dirt, then looked at the bartender, who stared with wide eyes. He bowed to her politely. “I’m sorry I caused you this much trouble.”

“N-No… it’s fine… I...”

Mob accepted all apologies she threw at him, even if they weren’t necessary. The people of the bar were staring as well. Apparently, it was strange to see a child being so mature, when the grown ups were so childish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random idea I had a few days ago. Had to write it. ;)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, I got an awesome response! I didn't expect the fic to attract attention, honestly! But hey, not complaining. ;)
> 
> I'm primarily a FF.net writer, but I decided to expand my horizons and publish my Hetalia fics here too (wink wink, yes, I'm self-promoting, and no, I have no shame). Imagine my surprise when I noticed the Mob Psycho fandom here is much bigger!
> 
> Yeees, this place is my Mob Psycho niche from now on. Maybe I'll write a crossover with One Punch Man too. I've been looking for those…

Nami sat down once again in front of Luffy and Zoro, whose eyes were turned at the scene.

“Thank goodness,” She began. “I wouldn’t put past them to beat up a kid.”

They had watched as the conflict unfolded, ready to intervene if those men decided to hurt an innocent person for no reason, however, what happened was surprising. Thanks to that boy, things ended somewhat peacefully. They weren't up for being recognized and chased out of the island by Marines, but they wouldn't just sit by as they abused someone right in front of them.

Even if they are pirates.

Zoro scoffed, taking a long swig from his drink. “Not everyone can swallow their pride just to avoid a fight.”

“And he doesn’t look like a coward.” Luffy still stared at the boy from his seat. “Maybe he just doesn’t want to fight? He doesn’t look tough, but…”

Nami raised an eyebrow. Luffy usually can tell whether someone is strong or not, but he seemed hesitant with this kid. “You can’t tell?”

With a hopelessly confused expression, Luffy ruffled his hair under his hat. “I dunno.” The way Luffy focused on the kid looked funny, like he was having a _really_ hard time with the effort of _thinking_ , and she guessed that if he kept this up for much longer, his cheeks would be turning red, so she leaned back on her seat, humming in thought.

She watched absently and the bartender handed the boy a cup of water, which he drank quickly as if he were thirsty. He then waved at the lady and left, despite her feeble protests.

She wanted to stop him, but she was scared of getting into further trouble with the Marines? Maybe she was rationalizing that it was just a kid she’d just met, she shouldn’t care… Maybe she was a _mother,_ at some point. Nami hadn’t seen any children.

With a huff, she stood up.

“Eh? Nami? What’s up?” Luffy asked.

“I’m curious.” She chirped and walked up to the bartender who had her head down. “Excuse me, could you tell me who that kid was?”

The bartender looked up, startled out of her thoughts. “That boy? I… I don’t know, he came here not knowing where he even was, maybe he was kidnapped or something...?”

Zoro and Luffy had followed Nami, Luffy seemingly determined to follow her on whatever whim she was indulging on, which she _definitely_ was.

“He was looking for his little brother,” The woman said, looking down at the wooden counter again.

At that, Luffy seemed more interested. “A big brother, huh…?”

“He said he wanted to talk to the Marines, see if they could help him…" She leaned closer to whisper. "I told not to go there, those men won’t help him, in fact, they might hurt him for fun.”

Nami frowned.

“He had a picture with him,” She continued. “seemed to hold it pretty close. I’m sure it’ll make his search easier, but those men…” She swallowed. “If it’s special, it’s fun to take it from a child, they think…”

Does she say this out of experience? “Do you think they’ll take it from him?” Nami wondered, and Luffy crossed his arms, brows furrowing.

“Maybe…”

After a second of silence, Luffy reached a conclusion of his own. “Yosh.” He started. “I’ll go talk to him. Maybe I can help?” With a bright, goofy smile, Luffy walked outside. Zoro smirked and followed him.

Nami smiled at that, then thanked the bartender, ignoring her pitying gaze, and went after her Nakama.

* * *

It wasn’t difficult to find the base. It was big and blue, easy to spot. Mob shielded his eyes from the glaring sun. “Maybe they can help me…”

He felt a tinge of anxiousness, it was slowly building up, so he took the picture out of its place once again, looking at it and making sure he wouldn’t forget. It felt relaxing to look at it, made him feel _grounded._ With sigh, he put it away.

He focused on the ground as he walked, watching as he kicked a small rock, and seeing it fly way further than he expected. He stopped. This was another weird thing that's been happening since this strange day started…

He felt… light. Like he'd lost some weight. He walked until he reached the kicked rock again and bent down to pick it up. It was almost like picking up a piece of styrofoam, if only a little bit heavier, but when dropping it on the ground, it sounded like a normal rock, maybe a bit slower too, he couldn't tell this sort of thing. "What's going on…?" he wondered to himself.

Did gravity lighten up while he wasn't awake…?

Mob pushed these thoughts aside as he approached the building, he spotted guards at the front gate when he was close enough. They seemed to be lazying around, not stiff and in the right position like he expected properly disciplined military men to be.

“Hold it right there,” One stepped forward. The other seemed to be picking his ear and not paying attention, the one approaching Mob was holding his strange rifle over his shoulder. “What do you want? Better yet, who are you?”

“I’m…” Should he tell them his name? Something seemed fishy since he woke up, he doesn’t know where he is, the lady at the bar didn’t seem to trust them… “I’m Mob. I was thinking that since the Marines are the authority here, maybe you could help me…?”

“Help you, huh?” The man relaxed, shrugging.

“Yes. Could I perhaps talk with someone in there?”

“Hm… sure, come in.” With a lazy wave, the man walked away. “Oi, open the gate!”

* * *

Finding the base was easy, and they followed the building in the distance. It seemed to loom over the small town, and the closer they got, the less people they saw walking around.

Nami looked back and groaned in annoyance, seeing that Zoro was nowhere in sight. _Typical_. Luffy continued forward, seemingly oblivious to the world around him, grin plastered on his face.

As they passed a market, she stopped when seeing Sanji and Usopp walking out of what seemed to be a fish market near the East harbor. “Ah, Sanji-kun, Usopp!” She called.

“Hm?” When spotting her, Sanji did a double take. “Nami-swan!” He then turned to Usopp, face changing back to neutral and he shoved the few boxes of groceries over the ones Usopp was already holding. “Hold these.”

“Oi! I’m not a mule!” Usopp cried from behind the boxes and struggled with the new weight.

“We were just going back to the ship, did anything happen, Nami-san?” Sanji ignored Usopp’s cried and focused on her.

“Actually, something kinda did. I think Luffy wants to help a kid find his little brother.”

“Eeh? Why?” Sanji ruffled his hair a bit in confusion. “I mean, it’s nice and all, but…”

“He had _that_ look.” Nami crossed her arms.

“That look?” Sanji stared for a second before his shoulders twitched and he grimaced. “You mean _that_ look?”

“That look.” Nami smiled a bit, resigned.

Having heard the conversation, Usopp inquired from behind the boxes. “W-Wait, wait! Who’s this kid? Is Luffy going to invite him?!”

“I’m not sure.” Nami shrugged. “Either way, whatever he decides we can’t stop him or change his mind. We might as well go with it.”

“Where did he go, anyway?” Sanji turned to look at the direction the captain went, but found the street to be devoid of red shirts or straw-hats.

“To the Marine Base, that’s where the kid went. He wanted to ask them to help him find his brother, despite the fact that he’s been given warnings about the Marines being corrupt assholes.”

“That bullheadedness sounds familiar.”

“It does, doesn’t?”

“…Can someone help me carry these…?”

For now, Sanji decided to go back to the ship, it wouldn't do to get into a fight and waste all the groceries in the scuffle. While Nami continued following Luffy. She felt that either way, they would be running back to the ship after Luffy broke something or punched someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You probably can tell where this is going.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'm going to regret updating so quickly when I run out of pre-written chapters.
> 
> Thanks for the awesome response, btw! <3

Luffy leaned over the wall, arms holding him up there as he watched the Marines on the other side. It reminded him a little of back where he started his journey, with Coby. But this was completely different.

Something was weird about that kid.

Usually, it was easy for Luffy to tell when someone was really tough. Like a feeling in his gut. But with this kid, he just couldn’t _decide_.

He hummed to himself, watching the boy talk with the guards by the door of the main building of the base. The gates have been loosely closed, and the Marines who were supposed to guard it stood beside the kid as he made his request for help.

“Eeeh? Why would we help you?” One of the guards asked, and the boy’s shoulders slumped.

“But… aren’t you supposed to help people?” The boy gripped the picture tighter, closer to himself.

Maybe it was special to him? Like a treasure?

“Ahaha, sure! How about you pay up first? Then we’ll work from there.” The Marine laughed with his friends, and Luffy narrowed his eyes.

This kind of scum… was the _worst_.

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t have any money-”

“Then get lost, brat.” The man snapped with a dark scowl before he pushed the boy away easily.

The boy fell to the ground and looked up at the Marines, seeming genuinely startled, then he got up and backed away, sweating in fear or nervousness. Luffy hummed in doubt. Why couldn’t he decide that the kid was just a weakling?

Something was off…

“Ah, wait there!” Another Marine grinned, snatching the picture from the boy.

The boy’s eyes widened. “Wait! That’s-!”

“Nah ah ah, you’re the one who came here with no money!” They mocked and laughed, holding the picture over the boy’s head. “Maybe if you _cry?”_

Luffy blinked. What was that…? It felt like something pulsed through the air, faintly.

“P-Please, give it back.” The boy mumbled, hesitant hands clutching one another. These guys were scum, definitely, so Luffy felt no hesitation as he leaped over the wall. Those guys deserved a good punch to the face. “It’s all I have-”

Luffy gasped as the picture turned into crumbles of dirt. A Devil Fruit user.

The boy froze in horror as it fell in front of his eyes.

“Oi!” Luffy snapped, just loud enough for them to notice, and stomped over to them. “That picture was special to him.” He bellowed angrily.

The boy didn’t seem to hear anything. He bent down and fiddled feebly with the dirt, as if wondering how he could put his picture back together.

 _Bastards_ …

“And who are you?” One Marine looked smugly at Luffy, taking a second too long to recognize him. “W-Wait, you are-!”

A second too late, as he was punched straight on the nose and sent flying. That was the user and he was now knocked out. Only one Marine ran inside, the others clumsily pointed their weapons at Luffy, and the boy was still staring blankly at the ground.

Luffy spared him a glance – something was _really_ off – then stood in front of him so he wouldn’t get shot, faintly hearing him mumble ‘Ritsu’ and ‘forget’.

The loud alarm went off, startling the boy, his shoulders tensing.

Luffy focused on quickly getting rid of these Marines. Whoever the captain is, he or she’ll show up soon, and just like all the other times, they might have to get out of the island quickly afterwards.

Well, he would think about that when it happened.

So he easily stretched a leg to sweep around, grouping all the Marines together and pushing them to the side.

“Luffy?!” He turned to see Zoro by the gates, which were cut open like butter, and Zoro seemed a bit out of breath, as if he'd been running.

“Zoro! Did you get lost?” Luffy called as he swept Marined off their feet with a stretched arm, easily punching and kicking whoever got too close.

“It’s not my fault this city is a goddamn maze!” The swordsman snapped, approaching menacingly with his three swords drawn and ready.

More Marines showed up from inside the building, all who were incredibly easy to kick around. The whole base seemed to be overall unorganized, no one seemed even capable of working together to give them any kind of challenge, and then, the captain of the base came out, tall enough to bend down so he could pass through the door.

“Now what is this, Straw Hat Luffy and Roronoa Zoro in my base?” The tall man mumbled with a deep tone, his ugly face contorting to form an even uglier scowl as he spotted the boy. “And a child…?” He pulled a sword from its sheath.

Zoro looked at the boy, then at Luffy. “What happened?”

“Those bastards destroyed his picture.” Luffy growled.

“Oi. Your opponent is right here!”

Luffy clasped his hands in front of him, stopping the sword from reaching his head.

Zoro parried a hit from the same man, a clone-like figure. Another Devil Fruit user? Although that clone thing seemed pretty weak, even compared to the original. Zoro scoffed, this would be no challenge.

More reinforcements seemed to have arrived, as usual they just seemed to sprout out of nowhere, and with a ‘tch’, Zoro easily fought them off. Luffy only needed a second to find an opening as he dodged the clumsy sword slashes. “Gomu Gomu no-” His arms stretched and punched the man’s teeth out. “Pistol!” The man flew and now Luffy could focus on the fodder around him.

The captain, however, landed dangerously close to the unmoving boy, who was quickly grabbed by the neck, forcing him to stand. “Stop, Straw-Hats, or this brat will die!” He declared boldly as the blade hovered close to the boy’s neck.

The boy continued to stare blankly, but his eyes widened by a fraction, his brows twitched, as did his hands.

Luffy stopped for a second, frowning. Something was giving off alarms in his head and it was more obvious than ever now. It made the hairs behind his neck stand. It seemed like Zoro noticed as well.

The remaining Marines smirked as they pointed their guns at them, oblivious to the _air_  that grew heavier and heavier by the second.

“ _...How…?”_

The Marine captain blinked and looked at the boy. “ _Huh?_ What did you say?!” He shrieked in annoyance.

The boy lowered his head, hair hiding his eyes as he mumbled. “…How am I supposed to… remember Ritsu’s face now…?”

The man blinked once again before snapping. “The hell are you mumbling about, you damn brat?!” With that, his grip tightened around the back of his small neck, blade touching his skin.

The boy’s lower lip trembled, his shoulders shaking. Luffy blinked as he noticed the boy’s hair and clothes start to float, as well as dirt and small pebbles of the ground. 

"…Oi, Zoro…"

"…Yeah… I feel it too…"

“You’re just...” The boy whispered as he hunched over. “really horrible people…!” Tears fell.

* * *

**100%**

**Anguish**

* * *

****Something had been unleashed in an explosion of light, temporarily blinding everyone. The sword near the boy's neck shattered like glass and the wide-eyed captain was the first to be pulled down, violently hitting the ground, the crater becoming deeper as a force pushed him down mercilessly.

Shots were fired, hitting a near transparent shield. The boy recoiled, wide teary eyes and wild hair turned to them. Their faces were ruthlessly pushed into the ground, guns breaking under the pressure.

Luffy was caught by surprise as a force pulled him down. He struggled to remain standing for a few seconds before he fell on his knees, having to rely on his arms' strength alone, grimacing with the effort. Zoro struggled just as much to so much as look up, and they watched as the ground gave in beneath their effort to stand.

With all his will and effort, Luffy looked up and saw the whole building breaking apart. The ground and the walls cracked as the boy cradled his head, eyes closed as he cried and fell to his knees.

The energy swirling around the boy was visible, a multi-colored ethereal energy that crackled with lightning and easily destroyed and tore apart everything surrounding the child. Neither Luffy or Zoro had ever seen such a huge display of power. 

The boy covered his face as he hunched over more. The force pushing them diminished suddenly and in just a second, it started pulling up instead. All the rubble that fell apart floated upward towards the sky, along with everyone, unconscious or panicking. 

Zoro buried his sword deep on the ground in an attempt to not be pulled along, and Luffy quickly stretched to grab him. They watched as the boy slowly looked up with teary wide eyes, as if completely _shocked,_ and they barely heard him whisper. "…I'm… terrible _…_ "

* * *

Whatever it was, Robin was somewhat impressed.

From her seat on the lawn of the Sunny, with her book, she could see as the Marine Base in the distance split apart and floated towards the sky.

She had left the ship briefly before, but quickly came back when realizing this island didn’t have a library, and when noticing no one was saying anything interesting around the town. It was a small fishing island in the middle of the Grand Line, used like an emergency pit-stop on the way to Shabondy, although the traffic of pirates diminished because of the Marine Base. They had only stopped there because they were running low on food.

Because of the captain of course…

Sanji had already gone and restocked, Usopp carrying most of the weight, and to the captain's credit, he only acted so irresponsibly with their supplies after being told that there was an island nearby.

It seemed like a boring, normal island, so she was pleasantly surprised to see this. “Ara, I wonder what happened…”

Brook had stepped out of the kitchen, already looking up. “That… It certainly feels strange…” His tone sounded very uncertain, and Robin raised an eyebrow.

Sanji had followed him and watched with wide eyes. "What the hell…" Usopp seemed to be downstairs, tucked away in his workshop, same as Franky, so both were oblivious of this…

Chopper was napping beside her, having gotten all the restocking he could from the island. His nose was twitching and he suddenly woke up, as if startled by something. “What’s going on-EEH?!” He jumped when seeing the floating rubble.

Robin stood and approached the ship’s railing to watch. Soon enough, the rubble began to fall, slowly at first, then gaining momentum before crashing back down. She could feel a slight breeze from where she stood a second later. The whole island must have felt that. “I hope no one was squashed. That would be an unfortunate death.”

“Robin, you’re scary!” Chopper snapped.

“Yohohoho...” Brook didn’t seem so focused on them.

After such a ruckus, they would have to leave, obviously. So soon enough, she was seeing wide-eyed Marines, all covered in dirt, running after the rest of her Nakama manically, as if chasing a demon, and all her remaining Nakama were present, which was a relief, however, the captain had someone with him…

A child?

She tilted her head with a small smile. “I wonder what happened…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this seems a bit OP, because this level was seen with ???%, but trust me, I have logical reasons!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kya! <3 You guys are so nice!

“Dammit, just what the hell happened?!” Nami yelled once they were safely sailing away from the island. Chopper had taken the _unconscious_ boy inside the infirmary, and she was left to berate both Zoro and Luffy.

"It wasn't our fault!" Luffy whined, nursing the bump she'd left on his head.

Zoro was seething quietly on the spot with a similar predicament, although she did hear him mumble curses at her as he walked into the kitchen, probably to find himself something to drink.

"So who did all of that?" She tapped her foot.

"Ah." Luffy's eyes seemed to immediately turn to the infirmary.

Nami's eyes widened and she sat down on a lawn chair. “What, the _kid_ did all of _that_?”

“Yeah!” Luffy confirmed, gesturing wildly with his arms. “It was amazing! I never seen anything like that!”

“But _why_ …?” Her eyes narrowed.

Zoro reappeared on the lawn again and sat down by the railing with a bottle of booze, listening to the conversation.

“They destroyed his picture.” Luffy’s expression turned just a bit angrier. “It was special to him!” He huffed, crossing his arms.

“So he… destroyed the _entire_ base… as retaliation?” A little overkill… Nami thought to herself.

Zoro interrupted. “He sort of snapped, actually.”

“Yeah, then he passed out. Maybe he ran out of juice.” Luffy continued.

“Not surprised,” Zoro continued. “He did lift the entire building, and held us down, too.”

“And he’s just a kid.” Nami wondered how strong would this child become in 10 years… “What kind of Devil Fruit he has anyway?”

“Something to do with gravity, most likely.” Robin joined from her seat.

“Also,” Nami said, finger up to emphasize, her tone and expression turning into a deadpan. “we left the island where he was looking for his little brother. What if he was somewhere on the island?”

Luffy stopped and stared for a second, then freaked out. “AH! I didn’t think of that!”

“You moron!” Nami snapped.

* * *

 Brook cautiously approached the infirmary, trying not to look suspicious to his crew, who were discussing what happened. 

The sensation he felt as he watched the disaster that had befallen that base was one of _unease._  When seeing this boy Luffy had rescued, this sensation multiplied tenfold. He could see an aura around him. Even when Luffy said he'd probably exhausted himself, he could still see a bright aura, a blue swirl of energy that flowed like water. 

People had auras, but they were usually a faint outline around people, and it disappeared upon death. He could even differentiate one from another when close enough.

With the boy, though… Brook felt what he commonly associated with _death._ His own Devil Fruit abilities seemed to have a similar feel, but the boy's were denser, heavier, like something deadly lurking just beneath the surface, something that gave him the chills, despite the fact that he had no skin. This child was more than he let on… 

Brook would stand by and watch him closely. He trusted Luffy's judgment, however, he could not ignore his screaming instincts. Brook gave the door one last look, shuddered, and walked away. Maybe he should remain out of his sight, just for safety…

* * *

**0%**

Ah… He exploded again…

His murky consciousness returned with this thought. He's been through this many times, and he'd say _too many_ in his 14 years of life. He didn't even bother wallowing in self-pity, instead, he just let regret swim somewhere in the depths of his mind, where he could barely feel it, where it couldn't affect his powers.

Sluggish and slow, he left this thought aside, letting his mind focus on the real world again, and without opening his eyes, he immediately felt unknown presences around him – like espers, but not – some closer than others. There was one closest to him, another few further away, and one… somewhat darker presence, something not human, something… like a _curse…?_  

Mob forced his eyes open, slowly, blinking as the light immediately assaulted his sight. He must have made some kind of noise, because someone nearby – _esper, but not_ – seemed to have noticed him.

“Ah, you’re awake!” It was a high-pitched voice. A little girl…?

He sat up and turned somewhat nervously, but it wasn’t a little girl. Mob’s eyes widened in shock when seeing it.

**12%**

“What…?” He tilted his head. “What are you…?”

The little thing twitched, eyes narrowing in anger. “I’m a reindeer! So what?! G-Got a problem with that?!”

Blinking, Mob leaned away just a bit, suddenly sweating. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you… I-I was just surprised…”

With a huff, the… _reindeer,_ who was wearing clothes, turned away before turning back with a cup of water. “Here, have some. You passed out due to exhaustion and you’re dehydrated.”

Mob took the cup and stared at it for a second. Was it _worried_ about him…?

“It’s not poisoned or anything.” The reindeer commented as it- _he_ , sat on the chair. “I’m Tony Tony Chopper. And you?”

Brows knitting together, Mob took a sip. It's not that he'd thought it was poisoned… This was just difficult to process. “I’m… Kageyama Shigeo.” He took another larger sip of water. It was a total relief to his thirst. “But people call me Mob.”

Chopper, as he was called, seemed much calmer now, putting Mob at ease. “Mob, then. How old are you, by the way? There are some remedies that shouldn’t be given under a certain age.”

Mob blinked owlishly. “I’m 14… Chopper-san, you’re a doctor?”

Confused, Chopper nodded. “Yeah, why?”

Mob’s eyes widened. “You sound so young for a doctor, that’s amazing…!”

Chopped blushed and turned away, seemingly dancing on the seat. “C-Complimenting me won’t do you any good, you asshole~!”

“I-I’m sorry _…_ ” Mob shrank meekly, which made Chopper panic on the spot.

“Ah! No! I didn’t mean it like that! Sorry!”

After this apology, Chopper hurriedly told him to drink his water while he went to talk to someone outside. Apparently, there were more people who would like to know that he was awake and doing okay.

Only when he was alone, Mob allowed himself to think. He sighed and patted his pockets, confirming that yes, the picture was gone… The image of his brother was still clear in his mind, but not from any particular memory of the past.

Only the picture was crystal clear.

How long would that last…?

**19%**

Mob left the cup on the small table beside the bed and uncovered himself from under the sheets, taking a minute to fold said sheets before leaving the room, as it smelled like _hospital_ rooms, and he felt like he desperately needed some fresh air. He found himself outside, the sound of waves crashing was much louder. The sun was hot, but the air was breezy, which made things much more bearable.

Leaning over the railing, Mob ignored the alarms sounding in his head - _dangerous, a ship is too enclosed and he could sink it if he lost control_ \- and instead, continued to keep the memory in mind, as if it were about to disappear on him, like the others.

Everyone else was fuzzy.

He tried to focus on their voices instead. He hears his mother scolding him over bent spoons, his father waving it off as just puberty, his brother worrying about him, his Mentor’s advices…

These are all he has left, at least, until he finds a way back _home…_ Wherever that was.

"Oi, you."

Mob turned and saw a green-haired man – dyed hair…? – who looked familiar. Where had he seen this man? He was on the level above, in front of a door that led to an unknown room. Before Mob could respond, he noticed the presence, the curse _…_ It wasn't on the man, it was _…_ the _sword._  Mob gaped slightly.

The man spoke first, distracting him from the cursed object. "That thing you did back at the base," He frowned, and Mob's eyes widened. "I don't want to see that here, got that?" His tone and expression weren't harsh or mean.

It was a simple warning. 

This was a ship, an enclosed, limited space floating above an ocean, far from land. Losing control would be a deadly disaster _…_ As much as Mob wanted to say he couldn't control his powers that easily, the warning was intimidating despite the neutral tone, so Mob gulped and nodded meekly, eyes wandering back to the cursed sword.

It didn't seem to be acting out, but it didn't seem to like Mob _…_ "That sword… It's cursed…?" Mob let out before he could hold his tongue.

The man stopped before he could walk through the door, turning to Mob with a raised eyebrow, then looked at the sword, thumb pushing it off its sheath. "You can tell, huh?" He smirked menacingly. "It's fine. It _accepts_ me."

The cursed thing seemed to growl at Mob as the man disappeared inside the room, making him narrow his eyes lightly as his shoulders tensed. Spirits and other such beings liked to think they could intimidate him _…_ He could easily get rid of it, but the man didn't seem to mind it _…_ He turned away, shaking his head.  

That thing was drenched in _blood._  

**24%**

* * *

 “So he tore the _whole_ base apart?” Franky leaned over the table, lifting his sunglasses and revealing his disbelieving eyes.

Luffy continued to eat rambunctiously, while Usopp nodded. “It seems so. Only Zoro and Luffy were there, but you could see it from anywhere in the city, apparently.” He suddenly shivered. “And here I thought kids couldn’t be monsters like this…”

“Heh, that’s badass!” Franky laughed.

As they continued to talk, Luffy noticed something. “Hey, Brook, something wrong?”

The skeleton held his tea, swirling the cup slightly. “How shall I put this…? When I walked near the infirmary where the boy is, I felt something strange.” Everyone continued to do as they were doing, but Brook knew he had everyone’s ear on the matter.

“It was the same feeling I had right after I first died, when my soul wandered close to the afterlife. Some kind of aura around that boy…”

Usopp twitched. “Oi, oi, what does that mean…?” He spasmed for a second when an idea hit him. “Wait, what if… what if he’s a _ghost_ …?!”

“Idiot.” Nami rolled her eyes, choosing to enjoy her dessert instead of listening to them. Robin chuckled behind her book.

Luffy laughed out loud as he waved it off. “There’s no way, Usopp, you can’t touch ghosts.”

“He’s actually right.” Brook chirped.

“M-Maybe... he’s _so_ powerful that he’s become solid!” Usopp raised his hands for extra effect.

This seemed to give Luffy pause.

“Don’t mull over it!” Nami yelled at him, then turned to Usopp. “He’s just a kid with a powerful Devil Fruit, there’s no need to act paranoid.”

Right then, the door opened, revealing Chopper walking in calmly. It meant everything was okay. “He’s awake now.” He said as he poured himself a drink and waited for Sanji to bring him food.

This seemed to catch everyone’s attention, and Nami leaned closer. “Really? How is he?”

“Just suffered from exhaustion and was just a bit dehydrated, but other than that, he’s perfectly healthy.” He said, digging in on the plate that was placed in front of him by Sanji, who immediately went back to his cooking. “His name is Shigeo, but he said we can call him ‘Mob’. He’s 14, though, I thought he was younger _…_ ”

“Eh? I thought so too…” Nami frowned. So not exactly a _child_ , he’s old enough to start leering at girls… Although, he really didn’t seem like the type.

A few seconds passed before Zoro walked in. He went straight to Sanji to get his food, bickered with him for a few more seconds, then was back on the table with his meal.

“If he’s strong enough to topple a whole building, then he can do the same _here,_ is this safe…?” Usopp mumbled just as Luffy finished his food, multiple plates were left empty and squeaky clean as he walked outside with a grin.

“Naa, Nami,” Usopp called her.

“Hm?”

“You think he’s going to ask this Mob-kun to join?”

“I really don’t know, I never know what he’s thinking-”

“He won’t.”

They turned to Zoro, who spoke suddenly as he ate.

“Eh? How do you know?” Usopp asked.

Zoro leaned back on his seat. “We saw what happened at the base. That wasn’t simply a ‘powerful kid’. That was a kid whose powers went wild because he couldn’t control himself. What happened at the base was an _accident_.” Zoro sent a lazy glance at the door and crossed his arms. “Someone who’s this incapable of controlling his own powers under stress would be more of a burden on the long-run.”

His tone was decisive and everyone stopped to mull over this in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly hate fics where Luffy just straight out invites anyone for absolutely no discernable reason. People tend to extrapolate this in most crossovers, which annoys me greatly.Luffy does have reasons for inviting people into the crew, but sometimes, people seem to think it's totally random and 'in the moment' kind of decision.
> 
> And this is a completely different world, full of new things, so Mob is getting stressed out very easily, and very quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone has any suggestions… (It's not that I'm out of ideas or anything, cross my heart, but any extra ideas are welcome).

Time to see, time to see…

Luffy found the kid, Mob, already outside. He had sat on his knees with his head down as he looked at his hands, opening and closing them every few seconds. Luffy tilted his head. What was he thinking about? Ignoring the thought, he decided to just go there and talk to him. “Hey!” Luffy called, hopping over the railing to the floor below. “You’re Mob, right?”

The kid seemed only mildly startled as he turned, blinking owlishly. “Ah, yes… You are…?”

Luffy straightened with a grin, thumb pointing at himself. “I’m Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become King of Pirates!”

Mob seemed to tense and his eyes wandered somewhere before stopping at the pirate flag on top of the ship, then they were back on Luffy. “Pirate…?”

“Mhn!” Luffy nodded.

“So this is… a pirate ship…?”

“Yeah!” Luffy faintly felt something in the air, like earlier at the base. He ignored it. “We were at the base, remember? You totally passed out after you wrecked the place, so I got you out of there.”

The spike of heaviness in the air seemed to soften, and Mob raised both hands and slapped them on his cheeks, much to Luffy’s confusion, then he took a deep breath. The heaviness disappeared almost entirely. “Thank you, for getting me out of there. You’re a good person…” That was the first smile on the kid’s face, despite being so restrained and small.

Luffy waved him off sheepishly. “It’s _okay,_ you don’t have to thank me…!”

As if remembering something, Mob’s posture slumped. “D-Did I-” He swallowed. “Did I hurt anyone…?”

Luffy looked confused. “Kinda,” At the boy’s building panic, which again, accompanied the sensation of a growing heaviness in the air, Luffy continued, still confused. “But most of them ran after us, so-”

Mob’s head dropped in desolation. “I’m not supposed to point my powers at people… They could get hurt.”

“Hm?” Luffy tilted his head. “What if they attack you?”

Mob’s expression turned determined, and he nodded with resolution. “It's not like they could actually hurt me for real…” He continued as he turned to watch the ocean again. “I don’t want to depend on my powers, I shouldn’t have to solve my problems with them…”

That's… determination.

Luffy could always appreciate someone like this, although determination to not use his powers wasn't something he's ever heard of. Luffy leaned over the railing along with him, humming in thought. “Why did you get this ability if you’re not going to learn how to use it?” He then chuckled. "Did you eat it by accident? Shishishi!" That would've been so  _dumb,_ but Luffy did the same thing, so…

"…Eat what?" Mob looked confused, blinking as if Luffy had said something weird, but before he could say anything else, Nami walked out of the kitchen, followed by Usopp and Franky.

Mob seemed to choke on air when seeing Franky. “…B-Big person…” He mumbled as the man approached.

“So you’re the Suuuper kid?! I’m Franky! Nice to meet you!” He struck his signature pose.

“Franky is a cyborg, cool, huh?” Usopp declared in with a hesitant grin as he _sorta_ hid behind the bigger man, as if gauging the boy’s reaction.

Much to Nami’s surprise, or not so much, his eyes shone at the revelation. “R-Really? Cool…”

Nami sighed. “Boys will be boys, I guess...” She watched as Mob approached Franky cautiously.

Usopp took a deep breath in relief, as if he’d confirmed to himself that Mob was a good kid, and was now in his element. Entertaining children was his thing. He and Franky both amazed Mob easily, who said he'd seen cyborgs only in _mangas,_  which made him define it as a picture story-book to the confused men and then stared comparing Franky to a character.

Nami felt like it's been a while since she's seen a normal kid - although this is definitely not an _actual_ normal one - and it was a strange relief, in a way. Nami sat beside Luffy. “So? What are you thinking?”

“Hm?” Luffy was grinning and he laughed at her tone, waving her comment off with a hand. “I’m not gonna ask him to join. He doesn’t like fighting, at all. Being a pirate is not his thing.”

“A pacifist? Zoro said what happened at the base was an accident.”

“Yeah, it was.” Luffy responded easily, shrugging. But then he did a double-take when seeing what was happening. “Whoaaaa! Make me float too!” And he ran to Mob.

Usopp had asked him about his powers, which made him make Usopp’s weapon float a bit, and Mob looked somewhat uncomfortable at the request. “Eeh? Are you sure…?” Mob asked quietly.

“Yeah! _Way_ high up!” Luffy pointed towards the sky. “Can you do it?!”

Looking up, Mob gaped. “I can, but-”

“Yosh! Make me float, then!”

Mob continued to insist that this wasn't a good idea, but Luffy was relentless, and as if unable to resist the child-like wonder on his face, Mob gave in, while Nami watched Luffy continuously ask to go higher and higher until he reached the clouds.

“You’re not gonna drop him by accident, are you?” Usopp worried briefly.

“Don’t worry, he’s light.” Mob assured back as he focused, not even raising his hands like most users tended to do when using their powers.

“He would be okay even if he fell.” Franky commented as Luffy yelled his heart out up there.

“ _I’m flying! Yahoooo! I think I see the Red Line!”_

“…If he doesn’t fall in the ocean, that is…”

Nami hummed in thought and she saw Brook walk out of the kitchen, shimming around the wall before disappearing around the corner. That couldn't look more suspicious, she thought with a deadpan.

What is he hiding from? She looked down again. _Mob…?_

Something seemed to distract Mob and he looked at that direction instantly, eyes wide and hand stretching, as if looking for danger, which soon followed by a scream going louder and louder every second.

"Aaand he's falling." Usopp reported.

"Uh huh." Franky nodded impassively. 

Eyes widening even more, Mob gasped and outstretched his hands, catching a falling rubber-man just in the nick of time. “I-I’m sorry, mister!” He cried and bowed, almost panicking as he backed away from everyone present. "S-So sorry…!"

Luffy only burst out laughing as loudly as he could.

Mob twitched and raised his head slowly, seemingly _terrified_ by the reaction. "Y-You're not mad…?"

"What? Of course not! That was fun!" He continued to laugh dismissing the obvious worry and fear in the boy's face. 

What exactly was he afraid of? Of hurting someone? Nami felt like there was more to that story… “Don’t worry,” She reassured. “even if he’d hit the ground, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt or anything.”

Mob nodded lightly. “…He's really an esper like me, then?”

Nami blinked. “Esper? What’s that?”

“I’m a rubber-man!” Luffy chirped from the ground where he’d sat, stretching his cheek to prove his point and letting it bounce back.

“Rubber… man?” Now Mob just seemed hopelessly mortified with everything. “…How…?”

“Hm? With a Devil Fruit, of course.” Now everyone, including Luffy, was confused.

Usopp joined in. “The fruit that gives you powers once you eat, you know? Don’t you remember eating one? That makes you unable to swim?” Usopp asked, eyebrow raised.

“It tastes like crap.” Luffy pointed out.

“…I _can_ swim…” Mob stood stiff for a second, looking at them as if they were crazy. “I was _born_ with my powers…”

Silence.

 **“** Eh? **”** Everyone's confusion echoed through the deck.

Mob scratched his cheek, suddenly looking like he felt very self-conscious. “I’ve never heard of such a fruit before…”

More silence.

 **“** EEEH?! **”**

* * *

Robin was surprised to hear this piece of news. Odds are the boy was force-fed when he was too young to remember, but… even when she voiced these thoughts, he seemed pretty convinced that he was born with his powers, even going as far as claiming he could _swim._

To say this sounded impossible was an understatement. She'd only read of such things in old legends, _myths_  in old books forgotten by conventional history.“Are you sure about that?” She asked with a hint of curiosity. They had huddled in the dining room so Sanji could feed the boy who was probably hungry at this point.

Sanji had explicitly told Mob to not leave _anything_ on his plate and the boy stared warily at his spoon for a few seconds before digging in with a comical amount of caution. He seemed to really enjoy the food, although he was still very quiet.

“I’m sure. I’ve always had psychic powers.” Mob confirmed once again with an airy tone that seemed to be characteristic of him. “There aren’t many back home, but if there was some kind of fruit involved, I’d have heard it from the other espers…”

“Eeh, so there are people who are _born_ with powers? I’ve never heard of that…” Usopp commented from Zoro’s seat, closest to Mob, Chopper sat beside him with some delicious-looking dessert.

The swordsman had gone to the crow’s nest to train as soon as he'd finished his meal earlier. Sanji was washing the dishes, while Brook, who seemed intent on not being seen by Mob, had disappeared.

“I can see spirits too.” Mob said quietly.

Chopper nearly spat his dessert.

Usopp stopped to process, then shivered. “You can…?! That means _we_ can't see them! How many have we ran into by now?!”

Mob shrugged. “Have you ever seen anything strange like that?” He continued to eat, hunching over his plate, as if afraid the food would fall off the spoon. His worries were proven legitimate when the spoon did bend, although he didn’t look surprised and instead looked embarrassed as Luffy laughed.

Usopp stopped, seemingly thinking over something, then shook his head. “Nope.”

“I-Is there one in the ship?” Chopper asked hurriedly.

“Yeah.” Was Mob’s simple answer while he bent the spoon back to its original shape so he could finish his meal. “I can sense one from here.”

Usopp and Chopper gaped in shock and hid under the table.

Luffy seemed more interested. “Really? What does it look like? Is it strong? Oh, can it poop?”

Mob seemed to actively ignore the last question. “It doesn’t feel evil.” He tilted his head. “There’s no reason to exorcise a peaceful spirit, they’re not hurting anyone.”

“Cool! Does that mean we’re in a haunted ship now?”

“This is not funny, Luffy…!” Usopp peeked from under the table, eyes darting back and forth randomly. “C-Could you _ask_ it to leave…? I don’t think I can sleep knowing there’s a _spirit_ hanging around...”

“I can talk to them.” Mob offered with a deadpan, which made Usopp smiled brightly in an over-the-top manner, while Chopper hugged the boy’s arm.

“Thank you! **”** Both shouted, which only made Mob blush and shrink unto himself.

 He didn't seem worried at all, which made Robin think he was used to this sort of thing. Wherever he came from, maybe people had such requests often enough to bore him to tears. 

“Have you done it before?” Robin wondered curiously, wanting to confirm her theory.

“Yeah, I have a part-time job at my mentor’s consultation office, and his clients ask for things like that from time to time.”

Chopper perked at that. “You have a mentor?”

Mob nodded with a small smile, expression brightening considerably. “Master Reigen taught me a lot.” It was such a bright fondness, barely visible under the veneer of calmness. Luffy seemed to find this obvious admiration very familiar. But Mob's small fond smile then slowly disappeared. “But… I can’t seem to remember his face anymore…”

Chopper blinked as confusion hit him. “…How so?”

Mob hunched over a bit, staring blankly at his now empty plate. “Ever since I woke up earlier today, I’ve been forgetting everyone… My memories are full of blank spots, and… without that picture I had… I feel like I’m forgetting my little brother too…”

Luffy straightened, growing serious. He knew for sure that what he was feeling, the slightly prickling on the back of his neck, was Mob’s power, and it only seemed to build up as time went by. As Mob mentioned his fear, it only seemed to spike up in an uncomfortable manner, as if it were keeping pace with his distress. Zoro did say that it was unreliable and unstable. A _risk_ to have in their ship, but Luffy wasn't the type to let risks and such control his actions.

Zoro seemed to accept that.  

As much as Luffy usually didn't care about people's pasts, the thought of forgetting all the people he loved so much was genuinely terrifying.

Everyone was startled out of this mood when Usopp stood up suddenly. “Just wait here, alright?” He told Mob and then ran out of the room, leaving him confused, and soon, he barged back inside, tired from the quick run, but with a sketch notebook in hand.

Mob blinked in silence.

"Alright, kiddo!" Usopp pointed at himself with poise. “It’s might not seem like it, but you’re looking the best artist in _all_ the Blues!” He declared loudly, then approached Mob. “Tell me what your brother looks like, you’ll have a picture in no time!”

Mob stared with shining eyes, as if Usopp was some sort of angel. He hesitated, but took a deep breath and described as he was told to do, with as much detail as he could, his tone hopeful.

By the end of it, while Mob’s nervousness wasn’t all that visible on his face, his powers seemed to act on it without his consent and small objects were floating randomly as he focused on a fixed spot on the table. Although judging by what he was capable of, one could assume he was still _really_ holding back.

Tense minutes passed, for everyone but Luffy, who had a smile that spelled confidence in Usopp's ability. 

“Done!” Usopp declared, startling Mob and making all the floating cluttery fall back on the table. Sanji caught a floating cup and knife before they could hit the ground as well.

Usopp felt a drop of sweat run down his temple, but took the page off the notebook and handed it to Mob. A tense second passed as the boy looked at the drawing. Usopp swallowed dry, suddenly feeling less confident about his skills.

“This… this is Ritsu…” Mob said with a quiet amazement in his tone, then nodded as small tears formed on his eyes and he pressed the paper on his chest to keep it close. His head lowered until his forehead rested on the table. “Thank you…” 

Despite being so restrained, those words weighted heavily with gratitude. Silent grins were all the response he needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another something that usually annoys me in One Piece crossovers is how bonds between the crew and the 'guest-character' can end up being shallow, so I'm trying to work on that, which means there might be another chapter or so with this same purpose (besides moving the plot forward, of course).
> 
> Anyway, Mob's first day is basically done! I wonder what Ritsu is up to… :3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really am going to regret updating so quickly, but what can I say? I understand the pain of waiting for a story to update.
> 
> Lots of monologuing in this chapter…

Kageyama Ritsu would normally prefer to stay calm and _think_ if he found himself in a strange situation. His brother seemed to always trust him the most with this.

However… _this_  might be, in a way, beyond his capabilities. Ritsu had woken up confused, he didn’t know where he was and he was _alone._

He stood up from the grass and grimaced when noticing the goo that stuck to his hands. What in the world…? His narrowed eyes darted from the right to the left as he cleaned his hands on his legs, and then sighed as he crossed his arms. He really had no idea where he could possibly be, and now he needed a bath.

Upon further inspection of his surroundings, no memory or information came to light. Looking at the sea in front of him only exacerbated this thought. Maybe he was somewhere near the coast – coast of _where,_ exactly? – but he turned around and saw the _trees_ peering back at him.

His shoulders slumped. Giant trees, nothing that looked even mildly normal. He could see a number imprinted on each, possibly for guidance. Even with the fact that he couldn’t, for the life of him, name his hometown, or even anything that could serve as guidance, this still looked _off_. 

This wasn’t normal.

Further more… He frowned as he noticed something coming out of the grass, it was literally a  _bubble_ , of all things, sprouting from the ground and floating upwards.

“Okay, let’s calm down and think this through…” He told himself in an attempt to calm his nerves. First things first. Figure out where he is. Then, find his _brother_. Then, find a way back home.

His brother…

His own memory wasn’t being helpful. Things were fuzzy and blurry, and what stood out the most was that he was with his brother before. The memory was vague at best. Faces were hardly clear. Nothing was quite coherent. What's this? Amnesia? Did he hit his head? When checking with his hand, it didn't hurt, so how could this be happening…? With a shuddering sigh, Ritsu walked forward, away from the water.

What was happening with his mind…?

He wasn’t like his brother with his powers, he couldn’t _sense_ an esper’s or spirit’s presence so acutely like him, so looking for him with that tool was a no-go, no matter how desperately he felt like he needed a familiar face to ground himself into reality. If he couldn’t figure out where he _was_ and go from there, he would have to, at least, find himself a place to stay and some food first. Starving wouldn't help…

Ritsu rubbed his face with his hands in another attempt to calm down and force himself to _think._ Fist nudging his chin, Ritsu looked up again, seeing floating bubbles and huge trees, the nearest one engraved with the number 44 _._

If trees were marked for guidance, then there _must_ be a city nearby, where there are _people_. Assuming it was close to the coast, he should just follow the opposite direction of the sea, right? Or was he supposed to follow the coast, since _docks_ were usually built near the water…? No, felt like he should go towards the center… A gut feeling, really.

Nodding to himself, Ritsu did just that. Following straight, he would run into something at some point, wouldn’t he? A road, or a sign, _something._ Rubbing his hands together, which were clammy with sweat and that grass goo, he let out a long breath. “You can do this…”

So he walked forward.

Ritsu must have walked for at least an hour - or so he felt like it was - until he found something that resembled society. But it didn't exactly make him feel any better. It was decidedly _disorienting_ to be surrounded by such unfamiliar things. Ritsu thought he was in a difficult situation before, but now, it was just ridiculous.

There was no glass and steel like he expected, not even pavement, he didn't even find a road or rural city-outskirts before stumbling across this. Everything looked off, strange, wrong. Nothing felt even remotely familiar. He couldn’t remember an awful lot of things he should remember, but even when someone deals with memory problems, one should still recognize their surroundings, right?

Something should look familiar…!

But this grassy field, these round shaped buildings, these bubbles, these trees…! Ritsu felt more and more nervous as he walked through the area, passing by people, many who had strange, round-shaped hats, many who didn’t _look_ like him at all.

He rarely spotted people with the sharp eyes and light skin tone he’s familiar with, and he remembers, _home_ had a lot of people like him - and what _were_ they…? - He couldn’t even name his home, or say where it was, so he couldn’t even differentiate his people with a name, even though he _knew_ there was a name.

Ritsu kept walking. He passed by a clock in a shop at some point, and it seemed like the sun would be setting in a few hours. He needed shelter and food.

He passed by shops that seemed to be selling food, but… he had no money. The symbol representing the currency was just as unfamiliar to him. He knew _B_  wasn’t the right letter… Let’s not panic, he told himself, continuing to walk almost aimlessly. He _needed_ food and shelter, but he had no money. Now what…? Ritsu rested his hands over his stomach, feeling the cramps of hunger.

He continued walking, as he had nothing else to do. He couldn’t _think_ of anything else.

He stopped near a shop, watching as a customer bought a box of what looked like cookies. He saw the owner pull a small box from under the counter, where he placed the money. Maybe he could… Ritsu shook his head. No, he wasn’t going to steal, even if doing so with his powers would be _easy_. His brother would be so _disappointed_ if he did this…

But he was getting so hungry…

Ritsu walked away from the temptation. “Tch.” He continued walking further away from the city, still not sure of what he was looking for.

If only he were as powerful as his brother… maybe he would have been able to point to a specific direction he could follow, the direction where his brother was, or the direction of _anything_ that could be helpful. Before long, Ritsu found himself in a much more deserted area. He could still see buildings, but they seemed abandoned, mostly. Some were nothing but rubble covered in moss. Maybe he could take shelter in one of these, it would be getting dark soon-

“Oya, what is this?”

He heard it from behind, then turned to see three _strange_ men, and that was putting it kindly. _‘_ _Who are these clowns?’_

“A brat wandering around the lawless area by himself?” The one on the front smirked.

Ritsu stared with disbelieving eyes. What kind of get-up is this…? They looked ridiculous…! He almost laughed at how _goofy_ they looked. For one, they were dressed like samurai - one even had face-paint - and had funny hair-dos. Also, they had swords. Where those even real? Are they cosplaying? ‘ _Just where the hell am I…?!’_

He straightened his expression and narrowed his eyes. “Can I help you… gentlemen?” He was hesitantly forcing himself to remain polite. It was difficult to take these idiots seriously.

They seemed to ignore him. “Ah, yes, I think a kid can fetch us little bit of money, at least until we find an actual bounty.” The fat and big one said with a menacing grin.

Ritsu raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

“You’re coming with us.” Another said, one with a long red hair – that thing  _had_ to be a wig – who was wearing a black and white face-paint that looked _stupid_. They drew their swords and those looked pretty real, actually…

Curious, but still really hungry, Ritsu decided that maybe they _could_ help him, but first… He raised his hands with a firm glare and focused, his powers came to life quickly, and all three men were pulled down with enough force to crack the ground. Ritsu blinked, staring at his hands. He could see his energy flowing, and it felt… different, like it was much _easier_ to use it than he remembered – not that he remembered much – and it felt _lighter_ , now that he thought about it.

He didn’t intend to pull them so hard… “Sorry.” He wasn’t sorry at all, but he thought he at least owned them that, since it _was_ an accident. They seemed to be awake, still, which was somewhat surprising. Ritsu crossed his arms. “You guys are going to _help_ me with something.” He said with a serious veneer.

The men flinched and got to their knees quickly, staring at him with wide eyes, bleeding faces, and nervous grins. “O-Of course!”

“S-So sorry, about t-trying to take you, sir!”

“Y-Yes, we’re sorry!”

Well, that was easy… If his brother knew he'd intimidated people this badly with his powers… Ritsu sighed, swallowing the mild feeling of shame. “You see, I’m having a bit of a memory problem, so I need a guide around this place.”

“Y-Yes, of course, w-we can do that!”

“C-Certainly…!”

Ritsu nodded. “Also, I want a place where I can eat, but I have no money.”

“Ah! We can do that!”

“W-We have a hideout!”

“It has food!”

He gave them a slight glare, making them flinch. Were they trying to lead him into a trap? Well… Looking at his hand, he mused over his options. He did feel like his powers were stronger, or maybe like it was much easier to use them.

He could take a big group of people on, he did it before, he could do it again. “Alright, but I’m warning you now. _No funny business.”_ He hissed the last line, making the three sweat and nod rapidly.

“W-We understand!”

"T-This way, sir!"

So Ritsu found himself following three weirdos into the woods. His mother would have an aneurysm if she heard about this… Still, he kept his eyes on them, in case they started to mutter and plot his demise. It was a 15-minutes walk of total silence, and just when he started to think they were bluffing, they pointed to a place over a hill.  

"…It better be." Narrowing his eyes, Ritsu went along with it.

Once inside, it didn't take long for things to derail into a mini-chaos. While the three tried to warn their buddies of the ‘No funny business’ rule, the rest attacked anyway. Ritsu easily put them back in their place by throwing the first in line past and through the wall behind him, and the others froze almost comically, then backed away like scared dogs. 

He gave the three clowns a pass for not immediately attacking once they had their pack with them.

At this point, he didn’t trust them to not attempt to poison his food, so he watched it being prepared with eagle eyes. It was a decent bowl of noodles, nothing special or fancy, but dammit if it didn't feel good to finally eat something warm. He sat on an old wooden chair by an equally old table, inside the derelict and dilapidated building, eating his meal, feeling somewhat satisfied. “Alright, now I want you to answer some questions.” He said as he slurped the noodles.

“A-Anything you need, sir…!” It was pathetic how submissive they became once Ritsu'd beaten them.

“First, where is this place?”

“…This is the Shabondy Archipelago…”

Ritsu frowned. The name was completely unfamiliar. He wasn't even surprised at this point. “Be more specific.”

“It’s in the Grand Line, just beside the Red Line…”

Again, completely unfamiliar terms… But Ritsu didn’t want them to think he was _that_ oblivious. He felt like the more he asked, the more he would just end up with a bunch of strange terms he knew nothing of. He could read just fine, so he figured he could find himself a library later, so it wouldn't hurt to have more. “Any known locations nearby?”

“There’s the Marine HQ closeby…”

Marine? Some kind of authority force? Law-enforcement? Government? “What about _this_ place?”

They exchanged nervous glances before someone pulled out a map. Ah, finally something useful. Although, much to his shock, which he expertly hid, he was on an island of sorts.

Not _mainland,_ definitely not home, because _home_ wasn’t a tiny island. He _knew_ that.

“Hm…” Ritsu hummed as he analyzed the map, seeing an area marked for _hotels,_ which was nice, but he still had no money… That guy, he’d said Ritsu would fetch him some money… “What were you trying to ‘take’ me for?” His eyes narrowed with the question, pinning them for how they would react.

They didn’t disappoint. They flinched and paled, sweating rivers.

“Uh… it was…” The red head in face-paint mumbled something incoherent, which made Ritsu’s glare deepen.

“We were going to… sell you…” The other nameless clown continued. 

The revelation was delivered sheepishly, almost shyly, and Ritsu stared with the same glare. “Sell me.” He repeated, watching them cower. “That’s your job? You take people to… _sell_ them?” He scowled.

Disgusting, it’s all Ritsu could think. Wrong, wrong, wrong, this is _so_ wrong and disgusting…!

“T-The slave market it’s pretty profitable…”

“…We do mostly bounty hunting, though…”

‘Bounty hunting’ sounded interesting, but this wasn’t processing. Ritsu focused on the other information. “Slaves…?” What kind of backwaters, savage, _sickening_ place he’d ended up at? Even with his unreliable memory, slavery was still unthinkable…! “So you’re slave traders…” He stood, leaving the bowl on the table, feeling repulsed of the fact that he’d accepted food from such vile people. “At least I won’t feel bad about this…” He sneered. “Give me _all_ your money.”

They paled and gaped in unison. “B-But-”

He gave them no chance to speak, they were forcefully pushed into the walls, and with no restraint on Ritsu’s part, some of them went right through with a _lot_ more momentum than before. The windows cracked as well and the building seemed ready to fall apart, which surprised Ritsu.

It was indeed easier to use his powers, they seemed to flow through the air like water instead of thick oil.

He approached the leader of them, kneeling in front of him. “Don’t make me repeat myself, you _shameless_ _scum_.” He whispered lowly. He didn’t have to show _mercy_ to people who lived off of _slavery_.

They backed away in fear, emptying their pockets and bags, full of dirty money they probably got from _kidnapping_ and _selling_ unfortunate people.

Loathsome…

But it would have to do, for now. The walk back to the hotel area was silent, as even his own thoughts were sparse and conflicted.

* * *

In the end, Ritsu left with enough money to rent himself a hotel room in a strange round building that he couldn’t help but find precarious in its structure. But it was better than laying on the street. The view wasn’t bad, either. He had settled in just as nighttime came, and he could see from the round window, the bubbles that reflected the city-lights and an amusement park shinning in the distance…

His shoulders slumped and he sank on the bed with his head on the pillow, sighing tiredly as he fumbled with the strap-bag he'd bought, if only to have a place to keep the money or any other belongings, like the map he took.

Until he found a way of looking for his brother, who could be _anywhere_ out there, he would have to find a way of sustaining himself. Odds are, he would have to look all over this island, and considering his brother could sense his presence, there was a window of time he could reasonably wait. In case his brother wasn't on the island, he would have to leave and look for him… He didn’t know how to steer a ship – and even if he did, he couldn’t do it alone, he wasn’t _that_ coordinated with his powers – so he would need to jump into someone else’s ship…

Maybe he would go look for a newspaper stand and see if there’s a quick way to make money, maybe look up on that bounty hunting gig, and read the news too, find some ground to stand on… He’s been feeling very lost since he woke up, maybe some information on the world around him would ease this discomfort.

Something was definitely wrong. Everyone’s faces were blurrier than before, he seems to be forgetting things at a steady pace… He’d noticed, of course. Memories don't disintegrate like this, he's never heard of it, so Ritsu would go as far as to say that maybe there was something more to this… But there was no way he would simply let himself forget about his parents and brother.

Which is why… Ritsu sat up and pulled a small notebook from this strap bag, along with a pen. Which is why he thought of a temporary solution.

He would fill this with all the information he had, he would draw people too – as well as he could draw anything – and if necessary, he would reread it every night. Whatever was making him forget what was important to him, Ritsu wouldn’t just lay down and let it happen.

“You can do this…” He told himself once again, laying chest down on the bed and getting to work.

Tomorrow would be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, Ritsu is smart. :) He can handle himself until Mob finds him.
> 
> Still, you probably didn't expect him to be so closeby, but then again, I doubt this is going where you think it's going.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt the need to rewrite this chapter, but kept hitting a bump here, so I ended up meshing it with the next chapter, which is the last thing I wanted to do... Either way, sorry for the wait.

The life on this ship was very strange to Mob.

It wasn't simply that his normal routine went out the window – wake up, go to school, go to Master to work, go home, sleep, repeat, repeat - but a whole new day just seemed completely unpredictable in a way that made him uncomfortable. He felt like he didn't know what to do with himself and that soon enough, these people would notice how… plain and normal Mob was… 

This was a crew of _pirates_ for crying out loud.

They weren’t mean, like that Marine alluded pirates to be, so Mob assumed they were an exception. But… what made him most self-conscious of himself, of how _unremarkable_ he was as a person, was the fact that every single person on this ship seemed to be _so_ special in some way, unique with their own talents, helpful with their own skills which they must have honeyed through their effort and will alone… Mob shouldn't assume, but whenever he hears about, or meets, someone like this, he couldn't help but admire them…

It's what Mob aspired to do with himself. Have something that distinguished him in the world and have something that people - like Tsubomi - would find interesting. Psychic powers weren't interesting at all. If it wasn't a weapon, then he could make things float. That's all.

So he was hit with a slew of people who were so much more interesting and talented, that just made him feel progressively worse in his own skin, a constant reminder of how boring and dull he could be. Even his clothes seemed to actively work to make him look as such. These people were just… too colorful, too alive, for the lack of better words, and it seemed to clash rather visibly with him.

He couldn't see it yet, but as he interacted with them, he waited for when they would grow tired of him, and that thought waited in the back of his mind, like a patient predator. The ship wasn't big, though, so he was forced to spend time with them. 

It's not that he actively disliked this. In fact, he found himself okay with it… Each and every one was a nice to him.

_“So you made this whole ship on your own?”_

_“Yow! Not on my own! My fellow shipwrights helped, but the blueprints are all my design! The Sunny is my greatest creation! And it will sail through all the oceans!”_

Mob's eyes were shining at the time. He’s never met shipwrights, never thought about what they could do, and Franky seemed especially proud of his craft. He knew there's a lot of math involved and his math skills were abysmal. It wasn't something he would ever be able to do, probably… but that was a great dream Franky had.

A long-term accomplishment…? Did Mob have any of those? It just made him think about his future, and he hasn't decided what to do yet.

Usopp seemed like he liked talking to Mob, and he was really nice. He was also a crackshot, could shoot any target and was happy to show-off. He was incredibly clever, an inventor of sorts. A myriad of talents and easy-going fun that Mob appreciated in the midst of all the stress he'd been feeling since he first woke up lost.  

_“So in a heroic burst of courage, I saved Robin from a tyrannical government, through all the monsters they could throw at us! And trust me, I had to save all of them! You can hear tales of the great Sogeking-that's me!-across all seas!”_

He was also a great story-teller. Mob found it relaxing to listen while Usopp worked on gadgets, although the topic tended to go off the tangent whenever he tried to pry information about the mysterious 'spirit' Mob had mentioned… Mob still hasn't seen them, so he assumed they didn't want to be found.

People should respect that…

Sanji meanwhile, didn't seem all that interested in Mob, but the food he served him - and everyone else - was the best thing he'd ever tasted, and not even his mother's cooking, or milk, seemed to hold a candle to that, it was just literally the best thing he’d ever tasted. Not that he remembers a lot of the food he’d eaten… His brain seemed pretty confident, though.

_“Make sure to eat all of that, I don’t want to waste a gram of food, you hear me?”_

His no-waste philosophy was admirable, too, and everyone abided by that rule religiously. Mob has been doing his best to not let the 'spoon-problem' cause him any grief with accidents. He didn't know what the man would do and Mob wasn't too inclined to find out. It was stressing, so he kept a little bit of distance… 

Chopper, as it turned out, was just _one_ year older than him, but everyone readily considered him the best doctor in the _world._

_“You’re completely healthy now. But since you’ve never been out in the sea, I suggest you drink more water than normally. And you’re pale, so try to avoid too much sun, it can be very bad for you if you’re not used to it, especially out in the sea.”_

He was caring and responsible, and often asked after Mob’s well-being, despite the fact that they didn’t know each other for that long. He wasn't used to that, not from people - or deers - he'd just met. Doctors are known for asking a lot of questions, but Chopper seemed to genuinely _care_ about his health. He also seemed surprised with how healthy Mob has been all his life. Apparently, his home was a medical heaven if anyone who needed always got help for free and were just as healthy as Mob.

That just made Chopper more insistent with the questions.

Then, there was Luffy who was the captain of the whole crew, and everyone respected him endlessly, no matter how goofy he acted. Mob just got this feeling from him, similar to Master Reigen. It has the _charisma_ Mob couldn’t possibly hope to achieve.

_“You can sense your brother’s presence? So are we getting close?”_

_“I think so, it’s definitely clearer than before.”_

_“Yosh, you’ll find him, don’t worry! Older brothers always take care of their little brothers!”_

Apparently, Luffy has an older brother, and seemed to like Mob simply _because_ of his determination to find Ritsu. Being the older one was a very important responsibility, according to him. The older brother has to always look after the younger ones. The captain seemed content with helping him for that alone and Mob found it relieving that there wasn't any ulterior motive. 

A simple reason was welcoming.

Nami was a navigator, and Luffy joked that without her, they’ve gotten lost and done for a long time ago. She could sense the weather like an esper, but Mob couldn’t sense any spiritual power from her. Which made her even more amazing.

_“I gotta keep these guys on their toes, since without me, everyone would’ve gotten themselves killed. So if anything, you listen to me, alright, Mob-kun?”_

She liked to ruffle his hair and was very nice to him for some reason. Apparently, she wasn’t so nice to the others if they messed up, so some of them sent him mild glares, before clarifying that they weren’t _really_ mad at him. Mob had to accustom himself with this mock-enmity. 

Maybe these people were so close that this sort of thing wasn't a big deal, but then again, why would they include him in their group-dynamics so easily? 

Zoro was the one who seemed to keep a little bit of distance, and he was a scary person… He was also ridiculously strong. It was what Mob aspired to be one day with his club, although the weights he could lift were inhumanely big and Mob probably wouldn't ever get that far. He wondered for how long he must have trained to reach this point…

But Mob preferred to avoid him. That cursed sword of his really didn't like him… It seemed to wish that Mob kept his distance and he imagined that it could sense how _dangerous_ he was. Destroying curses or their hosts wasn't that difficult, after all.

 _"What's with you? Are you antagonizing it or something?"_ Mr. Zoro had easily noticed the glances and mild glares in its direction.

_"It's antagonizing me, actually…"_

The man just seemed to find that funny.

Then… Robin. She was someone Mob had an easier time with. She was very intelligent and patient. Her library was big and Mob couldn’t imagine how someone could read this many books. This was good, because he forgot a lot more than he thought about the world. He never read anything about the _Blues,_ or the _Grand Line._ It didn’t feel quite _right_ in his mind, like it didn't quite click… He thought it would be better if he kept this to himself, though.

Their conversation usually pivoted into other directions instead. Directions that even surprised him with how comfortable he was around her. She wasn't as colorful and lively, it didn't push him or made him nervous in any way. That in itself was a relief.

_“Were they scared of you…?”_

_“No, not really. They thought I could only bend spoons and make little objects float.”_ Mob had said from behind the thick geography book. _“They didn’t actually know what I could do… so no one was really interested.”_

_“Even so, you worry about losing control…”_

_“…You notice you have no control when you hurt people. If you…”_ Mob lowered the book with a blank, if not somewhat haunted look. _“If you hurt someone you cared about… wouldn’t you be scared of yourself…?”_

Robin had closed her own book with a bittersweet smile on her face as she looked at him. _“…I suppose I would…”_

* * *

Mob stared at the drawing, intently. He did this every few hours or so, feeling like it grounded him, pulled him back into his reality. Even if it was somewhat cartoony, the drawing put his feelings at rest for some time. He was alone on the lawn, kneeling in front of the railing where he'd left his cup of juice.

Even if he actually liked these people, he still felt like he needed some time for himself every now and then, as if they were just _too much._ Being near them seemed to leave him drained of energy to deal with people.

However, he suddenly felt something, a strange presence way _above_ him. Mob looked up at the sky, tucking the drawing back into his pocket and picking up the cup of juice, absently swirling it in his hand.

“Hey, Mob-kun, what are you looking at?” Usopp asked as he walked out of his workshop downstairs.

Mob hummed as he watched it fly. “That spirit keeps flying in circles above us…”

“Eh?” Usopp made a funny face, looked up, saw nothing, then looked back down. “EH?!”

“Looks like a bird, of sorts…” Mob noted. It was, actually, a bit like a snake with wings and claws on its legs, red and bright-looking, he could see its glow even with the sun shining. Not a form he was used to seeing.

“B-But wait, wait, invisible things never bothered us before, t-then it’s not going to attack or anything, r-right?” As if seeking safety, Usopp stood close to Mob.

“It won’t leave…” Mob watched it carefully. It seemed to be circling them deliberately. “Maybe it’s because I’m here. I’m sorry…”

“A-Ah, no, no need to blame yourself…! Don’t worry, I-I can protect everyone against a-an evil spirit, yes I can…!”

Mob has been told that Usopp lies a lot when he’s nervous. So spirits have never bothered them before. Their existence wasn’t exactly widespread, it meant that Mob’s presence must be attracting them if they usually didn't bother people.

He barely took notice of Usopp as he ran inside, probably to warn everyone. Mob continued to watch it. It seemed to be getting closer, slowly, carefully, as if asserting the situation.

The kitchen door opened. “Really?! There’s a ghost bird?!” Luffy came out with sparkling eyes. “I wonder what it tastes like!”

Right after him, Chopper came out holding a cross, as if that could help. “Eating evil spirits taints your soul.” Mob warned. “It’s not good to eat them.”

"Oh," Luffy seemed mildly disappointed. “But can they poop?”

Mob only processed the question after a second, but decided to ignore it. It seemed to be getting closer and maybe it would be bad if they couldn’t _see_ it…

A good enough psychic can force a spirit to become visible. Mob learned that they usually did so on their own when he let them know he was challenging them, it seemed to be getting closer and more _malevolent_ by the second, so maybe it was warranted. With a deep breath, he focused and sent this signal towards it. It seemed to look down at them, glow brightening. “Can you see it now?”

Everyone stopped discussing and looked up.

Luffy gaped with a smile. “Whoaaa! Look at that! It’s huge!”

As he rejoiced this new sight, Nami approached him. “Wh-What’s that? Why is it visible now?!”

“It looks like it might attack, and they usually turn visible for that…” Mob shrank a bit on the spot. He didn't want to be blamed for this.

“It's going to attack us…?! Why?!” Chopper ran back and forth in panic.

Luffy seemed to be readying himself, hand on his shoulder as he swung his arm in preparation. “I’m gonna catch it.” He grinned.

“I’m gonna cut it.” Zoro looked comically serious about this.

“Are you sure it can’t be cooked?” Sanji wondered as he lit a cigarette.

"Hm." Mob nodded. “I doubt it would taste good anyway.” But before anyone could do anything, the spirit bird seemed to pivot and dive. “Ah… here it comes.”

It dove into the sea, much to everyone’s surprise, sending waves that crashed over them. Mob sat absolutely still, staring blankly as a fish fell on his head, wiggling before falling on the grass. Everyone else seemed to be either panicking, searching, or cheering, in Luffy’s case. Mob blinked when a shallow shadow leered over them, light only passing through like with an obtuse glass. He looked back at it.

Nami, Usopp, and Chopper hugged each other in fright, while the trio changed into battle-mode. Franky, who wasn’t present before, walked out of his room because of the ruckus. “What the hell is going on?!” He yelled, oblivious to the presence before Mob pointed to the side. “Wha-AH!” He fell backwards in shock.

The spirit bird’s eyes shone menacingly over them. Mob still stared. “Should I do something…?”

“No!” Luffy said with a grin. “I wanna fight it!”

“Okay.”

 **“** Don’t just agree! **”**  The hugging trio shouted in unison.

Mob ignored this and took a sip of his juice while levitating the fish back into the ocean. The poor little things didn’t deserve to die like this. They weren’t even fishing for food. Meanwhile, he kept his senses focused on the resident spirit of the ship, who seemed to be pretty close, but still out of his sight. Were they hiding from him? Mob wished he could speak with them, but he didn't want to be forceful…

* * *

Brook stood still on his hiding spot, a blind-spot where neither the boy nor the great spirit could see him, not sure of what he was supposed to do in this situation. The boy just… _scared_ him too much, like looking in Death's eyes, like he just needed to snap his fingers to make Brook's entire existence disappear. The more time he spent watching him, the more certain he was of this.

But his beloved crew was facing a giant greater spirit, the sort of thing Brook had rarely seen in all his decades on this Earth, specifically after eating his Devil Fruit, of course. He should be there to _help_ them!

But the mere thought of stepping into the boy's line of sight made him shiver - despite not having skin - and paralyzed his legs. It was inconceivable that Brook wouldn't lay down his very existence for his crew, he definitely _would!_ But they weren't in immediate danger, were they? He knew, he could tell, how powerful the boy was. The more he watched him, the more aware and convinced he was.

He knew that spirit had no chance. 

* * *

With an excited grin, Luffy reeled back before his arm stretched rapidly back and then forward, hitting the side of the spirit bird’s head.

Mob gaped lightly. That’s a lot of strength. Luffy had said he was a 'rubber-man', but until now, Mob didn't quite understand how that worked. Then, he watched as Sanji jumped inhumanely high up and kicked it even further, using it as groundwork to push himself back on the ship. It really was like gravity was lighter…

Despite that, the spirit bird’s weight was prominently visible as it crashed back on the water, creating large waves that rocked the ship. It dove back and under, quickly resurfacing on the other side, closer to Mob.

He continued to drink the juice.

Franky stood on higher ground on the ship, closer to the ship's helm, shooting the spirit with the machine-gun on his arm. 

Zoro stepped forward and with two swords, he seemed to cut the air itself, creating visible waves with them, as if he had spiritual powers. That was something else, though… It cut through the bird as if it were paper, but as a spirit, it shrugged the damage and regenerated easily.

"You should use the cursed one… It'll work better…" Mob commented. 

Zoro stopped, glancing at him, then down at the sword, still in its sheath. He quickly switched tactics accordingly, doing the same as before as if to test his advice. This time, the beast screeched and focused its glare on Zoro, which made him grin. "Ah, thanks."

Clouds former around it, so suddenly that Mob’s shoulders twitched. Lightning fell from the darks clouds, hitting the spirit bird. “Ah…” He looked back, seeing Nami with her staff, the one Usopp had said he invented. “You’re just giving it more energy.” His shoulders slumped.

Usopp stared at her with a deadpan and Nami panicked. “EH?! How come?!”

The spirit bird only seemed to grow bigger, its wings prickled with lightning. It wasn’t spiritual energy, but… “Some spirits can draw power from great natural forces.” Although only old _and_ powerful ones were that flexible.

The bird flew over the ship, diving again and reappearing on the same side once again, it’s serpent body circling around the ship. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Franky, as strong as they were, they couldn’t beat this thing. “You can’t kill what’s already dead.” He informed them from his spot. “It needs to be exorcised.”

It seemed to be about to crush the ship with its body, like a deadly snake.

“Then how do we do that?!” Sanji asked, being the first to stop attacking. Luffy and Zoro didn’t seem to listen all that much.

“You need psychic powers.”

“Which only you have, huh?” Sanji smirked. “Oi, shitheads, we should leave this to Mob, otherwise…”

The now much bigger spirit hovered over them, opening its beak. Mob sighed. So it wasn’t going to crush them, it was going to vaporize them instead. Mob’s eyes narrowed lightly. It seemed stronger than the usual spirit he vaguely remembers…

“Can’t I just beat it up until it’s down?!” Luffy shouted after his last attack failed to slow down the creature.

“It just keeps regenerating!” Zoro sounded frustrated, probably not used to coming out empty handed from fights.

“It’s already dead.” Mob stood up, seemingly much tinier compared to the giant monster lurking above. He drank the rest of his juice, not wishing to waste it. It was a pretty strong spirit, by conventional standards, maybe he should take it seriously. "This is really dangerous… Maybe I should take care of it…"

 _"Can_ you do that?" Zoro inquired, looking at him up and down. The question was 'would Mob be able to control his powers this time?'.

"I'm fine now…" Was all Mob said, looking up at it. It seemed like a calm beast, patient, not in a hurry to attack. An old entity that was used to let time pass by. Mob left the cup on the ground and approached the railing, climbing over it, if only to be as close as possible. It seemed to glare at him, as if trying to will him out of existence. It felt angry at his _presence._ Mob did feel out of place in this new place…

"…Could you please leave…?" It didn't hurt to ask.

"Really…?" Usopp droned with a deadpan.

"Just kick its ass!" Luffy cheered, although Mob could only sigh at that.

Redish energy glowed and grew in the form of a ball in its open beak. Mob didn’t want to damage the ship, so he would push it off as much as possible. He didn’t exactly enjoy showing his powers to anyone other than Master, but he liked these people, and this was indeed dangerous.

Energy built up, heating the air. Mob raised one hand as it exploded forward, hitting his barrier and bouncing off violently with a loud _boom._ Wind pushed back wildly and Mob raised both hands, letting his power grab and twist the spirit, tearing through its wings and making it panic and dive like a sea-serpent, this time intending to crush the ship.

Mob simply aimed at its body circling around them, cutting it off from the rest, and watched as it deteriorated. There was a loud cry as it sprouted clawed arms and aimed to clash with the barrier, attempting to break it by force. It rocked the ship rather hard, and Mob lost his balance for a second, so he redirected the barrier's energy at the claws digging into it.

Its arms turned to mush and evaporated with light, the spirit seemed to panic, its eyes becoming wide. It hit his barrier head on in a desperate attempt to break through with its sharp beak. The barrier wall was close, so close that Mob could see how huge the spirit was. “Ah, it’s bigger than I thought…” It didn’t stop trying to break through, it was near enough that Mob could reach and touch it.

It was weakened and close enough, so with an extended arm, Mob taped it’s beak through the barrier. “Sorry about that, but you really shouldn’t attack people…” In an explosion of light, it inflated like a balloon before blowing up in a shower of colorful light, like a firework, and strong winds that pushed hard.

With a sigh, Mob turned and jumped back on the lawn, dusting his clothes. His whole body jolted when he received a slap on the back. “That was amazing, Mob! You’re really strong!” Luffy praised.

Everyone present decided to praise him. Apparently, he did something _amazing._ Mob stared glassily at nothing, biting his lip and with wide eyes, in total shock at this sudden onslaught of _praise._ He honestly didn’t know what to do with himself. He's never been called 'strong' with such reverence or treated as _cool_ for his powers.

"Yosh! Let's have a party!"

Everyone seemed impressed and amazed, and more than happy to throw him a party, and he could do nothing but blush and let himself become mute. He wasn't sure why they needed to do this… His powers weren't supposed to be amazing… Not to mention, the spirit's anger at his presence made him think of strange things that weighed heavily on his mind.  

Mob knows that he's been feeling strange since he woke up with his scrambled memories, as if something was off about his surroundings.

But now, he felt like he could accurately say what this feeling was and what it was trying to tell him. Everything around him, from the sea to the sky and to the earth, the message was suddenly made clear by this spirit he'd just exorcised. 

He was unwelcome.

**42%**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the spirits of the OP world don't quite like Mob's intrusive presence. 
> 
> Anyway, this final scene was just so difficult to write, I'm terrible with putting so many characters in the same scene, I get lost and I forget to mention characters. 
> 
> Honestly, I'm happy to wash my hands off this. I know that this chapter is below average, but hell, it was really annoying to rewrite it. I just wanna move to the next one!


End file.
